AbbyShot Reviews Doctor Who 6.7: A Good Man Goes to War

It’s going to be a LONG wait until September! The latest episode of Doctor Who was a fast-paced and utterly thrilling mid-season finale that left us so very hungry for more.

Steven Moffat has become the master (no pun intended!) of the epic Doctor Who story as the first part of this episode effortlessly spans many centuries and planets to bring together a diverse cast of characters on both sides of the Doctor’s “war”. The ending does indeed bring a promised game-changing plot twist that leaves a wealth of possibilities open for the second half of Series 6 in the Fall.

“A Good Man Goes to War” was an exciting hour of television though we dare not give away too much detail here in the intro due to one of River Song’s favourite words: Spoilers! There are indeed major spoilers below so read on only if you’ve seen this latest episode. If so… let’s jump right in!

Here we go, our last Doctor Who episode review until September; how time flies! Here are our thoughts…

We loved the little bait-and-switch during Amy’s monologue to her baby at the opening of the episode. She talks about the man who is the last of his kind and will stop at nothing to save them. We certainly thought she was talking about the Doctor, but in fact she was talking about…

Rory! Rory is back, in his Roman centurion armour no less! From such a mild-mannered start in “The Eleventh Hour”, Rory is becoming one of the baddest, most awesome characters in the Doctor Who canon. His “Would you like me to repeat the question?” line had us cheering and has helped contribute to a fan following that includes a Facebook Page titled Rory Williams is the New Chuck Norris.

Huge kudos to Arthur Darvill for his portrayal of Rory in this episode, balancing his unstoppable “man on a mission” aspect alongside the sensitive nurse (and now father) traits that we know and love.

The recruitment of the Doctor’s elite team was well-done with some stand-out characters in the mix. Strax, the Sontaran Nurse, was hilarious, we enjoyed the return of “black market businessman” Dorium Maldovar (who was very displeased to see the TARDIS!), and the Victorian Silurian Madame Vestra (along with her sidekick Jenny) who was so good that many fans are calling for them to get their own spin-off show.

Along the same lines: So THAT’S what happened to Jack the Ripper

The Doctor and crew have quite an intimidating villain to face this time, however, in the form of the one-eyed Madame Kovarian. She’s manipulative, full of hatred, and controls a devoted Cleric army as well as the not-quite-alive Headless Monks. The scariest part about her though? We have no idea why she hates the Doctor so much.

The Doctor’s first appearance (well into the episode’s running time) in the robes of a Headless Monk was great, showing that he truly does know the value of wearing the right attire

Seeing the Doctor willfully humiliate “Colonel RunAway” was a sobering moment though. The Tenth Doctor had his moments of great anger, but never quite as mean-spirited as the Eleventh Doctor’s tirade in this episode.

And as many characters hinted during the episode: Anger leads to grave mistakes. After a small victory, the Doctor brings himself and his friends into a terrible trap. Poor Lorna Bucket, in particular, didn’t stand a chance. If she was in Star Trek she would have absolutely been wearing a red shirt!

Though the episode’s tone was dark overall, one of our favourite lighter moments was the revelation that the Doctor “speaks baby”! And even Amy’s baby makes fun of his bow tie.

On the other side of the coin – the disintegration of the “Flesh baby” in Amy’s arms was quite disturbing!

The final revelation of the episode, however, was quite spectacular. River Song’s return started out very tense (as she fought with the Doctor and almost got shot by Amy!) and ended with the uplifting reveal that Melody Pond IS River Song! It makes so much sense, while still throwing everything into upheaval! Bring on the second half of the series now please!

So what did you think of this episode? What are your theories on the remaining episodes in the Fall? Why does Madame Kovarian hate the Doctor so much that she wants her own Time Lord to defeat him? Is River Song the “Impossible Astronaut” who kills the Doctor in America? Does that incident make the Doctor the “Good Man” that River murdered, that led her to be imprisoned in Stormcage? Will Vestra and Jenny get their own show? Can Rory Williams get any more awesome?

So many questions, and a whole summer to ponder them! Bring on the wild speculation in the Comments below or on our Facebook Page or Twitter account!